Hall of Nations (DEMOLISHED)

As a child having walked in and out of this structure, year after year, the Hall of Nations is most of what New Delhi means to me.

Maanvi Chawla

Just days before a hearing that might have saved this building, it was demolished on April 23, 2017.

Built in 1970 to commemorate 25 years of independence—at a time when India’s economy was weak and steel was not readily available—the Hall of Nations was designed with an innovative reinforced concrete octahedron space frame system. Designed by Raj Rewal and engineered by Mahendra Raj, it was among the largest clear span concrete structure in the world, and bolstered Indian self-confidence in innovation, industry, and progress. The current government decided to demolish the Hall of Nations in order to replace it with a “world class” or “state of the art” convention center. But it already was one!